What has Been Lost
by Fall in Snow
Summary: They had found him. In this world of death and destruction, they had found him.


**Hey guys this takes place in a post apocalyptic world. Thanks to Fyearth for beta-ing my stuff. And I am working on my other stuff….**

They had found him. In this world of death and destruction, they had found him. Alfred couldn't hold it back any longer and vomited across the pavement. A few others whimpered and he heard some others vomiting as well.

"We'll have to get him down if we want him to have any chance of reviving." The blonde they had been looking for was skewered almost as if someone had lifted him and laid him out on his spiked death bed. The fence was a good nine feet tall. They would have to climb up and pull him off. Alfred nodded his head moving towards the fence and swallowing hard; he could do this, he was a hero.

He grabbed part of the bar and pulled himself up near the splayed legs on either side of the fence. Despite the horrid wounds from the impalement on the spikes, the body was in good condition. That was good. It meant he had a chance to revive once they removed him. He took a deep breath and braced himself meeting the blue eyes of France who had also scaled the fence to get the poor dead nation down. Germany took a potion on the ground ready to take the body once it was freed.

He looked back at the skewered pelvis and blocked his mind from the fact he knew this person—he loved this person—and gently, with one hand, set to lifting the hips at the same time as France. It wouldn't help him recover if they damaged him more. There was a moment when the bone in the scrawny hips got stuck on the back end of the arrow-like head and Alfred had to fight not to drop the body and vomit again. France didn't seem much better as he pulled the head softly upward; he had shut the dull eyes once he had made it up. Those eyes would haunt him even once they were filled with life.

"America, I can't." France began cradling the head softly.

"It's okay Francis." Alfred spoke calmly to the distressed elder nation. "Ludwig, help me over so I can get his torso." Germany braced his leg as he maneuvered sideways on the fence constantly holding the pelvis up so the hips wouldn't be skewered again. With his legs entwined in the bars of the fence and Germany steadying his weight he lifted the torso with a sickening squealsh.

The body was free.

Arms now full, Alfred gave a nod to France letting him know to let go of the head and drop down. He repositioned his bundle and Germany moved away so he could drop to his feet, the precious body still held in his arms.

Germany spoke. "Let's move out of the city." There was a nod of agreement. No one wanted to lay the body on the dirty ground of what was once London.

They laid the body down in the dirt at the base of some scraggily trees. The clothes the body had worn were now in disarray and disintegrating bearing proof to how long the body had been held in the air for the world to see.

The wounds didn't bleed as there was no blood left to flow. France pulled out a little knife from his boot cutting the palm of his hand and letting the blood fall into the holes. He explained in a soft, eerily clam voice as he did so. It was a trick used from before the time of Rome with nations. The bloodless body would be much harder to heal and the blood France had offered would allow the body to start making its own quickly.

All that could be done now was to wait. They took the body and moved farther into the scraggily woods laying it back into the soil of the earth. As they stepped away, the ground seemed to split and the body disappeared into the earth's open maw. A cry escaped Alfred lips as he dove at the place franticly digging for the body.

France's hand found a way to the poor boys shoulder. "Let him go. The land has taken back what it has given."

"This was a waste of time!" Someone else shouted in frustration. "We needed him to get home!"

They all cowered together around a horribly small fire and let the thoughts of despair over come them.

I felt myself jolt from my stupor as a small chilly thing touched my hand. I startled not used to the creatures that roamed the earth now. Instead, what I was met with made me stifle my cry of alarm. Glowing emerald stared at me from the shadow, a tiny hand still visible where the thing had touched me. I took a breath letting hope have one last go at me.

"Arthur?" I moved towards the eyes. They moved towards me and I found a little blonde boy on a rock staring at me, his unkempt blonde hair making my heart twinge in pain.

"Alfwed." The boy whispered to me almost in as much disbelief as I myself was feeling. In an instant, the boy was in my arms. His unruly hair under my chin and his face pressed into my neck as I squeezed him as much as his body would take without injury.

"Alfwed," the voice came again louder this time. "Alfwed, I can't bweaf." The little voice exclaimed. I loosened my arms not letting go. All the while, the small child didn't loosen his grip at all. "You came for me Alfwed. I knew you would." The child's face buried itself in my neck again as the body slumped, but this time in sleep.

"Alfred." France's voice called me. He sounded so defeated and had ever since we had found Arthur's body. When we were told to find him there had been good hope that he had made it. That he was one of the few alive, but once we found him…it had crushed France.

I smiled at the child in my arms. His little puffs of breath reminding me of his life; I could almost make out little snoring noises.

"Francis," I called back barely letting my voice rise for fear of waking the child. France approached me reaching out a hand to touch my shoulder in what I guessed was suppose to be comfort.

"Come back," he said quietly letting the warmth of his hand travel into my shoulder.

"Francis," I whispered again, "Look." He moved closer coming around to my side. He froze looking at the bundle cuddled in my arms his eyes wide before he rubbed them to stare again. His breath hitched and he was breathing weird almost like he was trying to hold it then breath.

His hand extended towards the warm body in my arms before he froze making eye contact with me almost as if asking my permission to touch the sleeping child. I nodded my head slowly and the back of his fingers made contact with the slight chub in the child's cheek.

He smiled then an almost nervous laugh escaping his cracked lips and tears welled up in his eyes again. His hands came out asking what his mouth couldn't. I nodded again giving him the bundle that was tucked so tightly against me.

He cradled the child to his chest planting little kisses on his forehead and cheeks. I felt my eyes tear up seeing France with him; maybe I would side with France a little more when he just wanted to hug Arthur. I knew England meant a lot to him, but I never knew how much. I felt awkward like I didn't belong here, like I shouldn't be seeing this.

"Where ever did you find him?" Francis asked me looking up through tear stained lashes.

"He found me."

"He always could." France smiled burrowing his nose into messy blond hair.

"He smells like before the revolution." I cringed. "Not that one," France spoke softly. "The Industrial Revolution. Despite cleaning up his cities afterwards, he could never quite clean all the damage he had done from his scent." He let his nose fall back into the blonde hair.

"Glaf to know I stinf fwog." A little voice spoke. There was a fake obvious anger in the little tone and Arthur wasn't struggling to be let go.

"Mon lapin!" France gave a little cry of joy rubbing his cheek against the child's. The child in return actually giggled and wrapped his tiny arms around Francis's head taking a big fist full of blonde hair while pulling his long time frenemy close.

"The fay swaid you gaf me bwood." The little voice spoke up again. France paused pulling the child away from himself to stare at it wide eyed. Now that I thought on it, and how precious our blood could be, I realized what Arthur meant. The little child leaned forward in France's grasp and kissed his nose in a childish fashion.

"Twanks Fwance. Twanks Bwoder." He smiled softly at the blonde holding him as France came out of his frozen stupor to almost smother the child in a hug.

"Only for you mon lapin, only you." I took a step backwards to leave them be only with my dumb luck to step on a stick. The cracking sound drew their attention back to me.

"Alfwed!" the child called in excitement to me. One hand outstretched to me the other tangled fully in France's long golden hair. I nervously scratched at my nose. Only for France to laugh at me.

"Thank you Alfred, but I think it best if we all went back to the camp." Arthur yawned little hands covering his mouth all the while not letting go of France's hair. "I see you agree mon lapin." Arthur's hand lazily went back out to me and I went to pick him up from France only for the little nation not to let go of the Frenchman's hair.

"You have to let go if you want me to carry you, Arthur." I spoke gently. France seemed rather perturbed and amused by chibi England's love of his hair.

"Nuh uh." The child spoke rubbing at an eye before they slid closed and the body went lax.

"We should get back," France spoke untangling the hair from the tiny fingers. I nodded in agreement and we moved silently through now less creepy woods.

**So this is a one shot and I doubt it will go on, but it might once I get some of my other stories finished. My beta loved it too much for me to pass up posting. Hope you enjoyed please review.**


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